Latino youth saw an increase of 46.6% to 48.9% in their voter registration rates between 2008 and 2012, even as youth of other racial and ethnic backgrounds all experienced declines, but the voting rates of young Hispanics (ages 18-29) still lag behind those of their peers and they remain the most “civically alienated” group.

The 2008 presidential election marked the highest reported voter turnout among Asian American youth since 1992, with a rate of 43%. This is one take-away from CIRCLE’s recently released fact sheet on the voting and political engagement trends of young Asian Americans.

In the past three election cycles (2008, 2010, 2012), young African Americans turned out to vote at a higher rate than youth of any other racial or ethnic group. That’s one of the primary takeaways from our recently released fact sheet on the voting and political engagement trends of African American youth.

A handful of competitive races in states like Alaska, Colorado, Louisiana, and North Carolina may decide which party has control of the U.S. Senate this November, and data suggests that young voters could play an important role in these nationally watched contests.

Less than half (49%) of young people, ages 18-29, were registered to vote in the 2010 midterm elections, the lowest registration rate for a midterm contest in the last two decades. That’s one of the highlights from our recent analysis of youth voter registration, which also explores why almost half of young people were not registered to vote in 2010.

The gaps in voter registration between youth, aged 18-29, and older adults go beyond merely the registration rate, and include important differences in how and where they register to vote. That’s one of the highlights from our recent analysis of youth voter registration data which focuses especially on the 2010 midterm, the most comparable contest to this upcoming November’s election.

When it comes to youth political engagement, especially in midterm elections, getting youth to register is only half the battle. That is one of the takeaways from our latest fact sheet on young people’s registration and turnout rates in midterm elections, with particular focus on the 2010 contest, the election most comparable to the upcoming 2014 midterm.

In 2013, CIRCLE surveyed a national sample of civics and U.S. government teachers for our Commission on Youth Voting and Civic Knowledge. More than 700 teachers responded to the survey and provided valuable information on over 1,000 courses that they taught. Today we release a new fact sheet with detailed data from that national teacher survey, along with key conclusions and recommendations.

Today, we release a short fact sheet that describes three recent civic education policy changes. We also release a longer paper that takes an initial look at the process behind each proposal and some of the issues faced by the educators tasked with implementing them.

To enhance and broaden the discussions around the report of our Commission on Youth Voting and Civic Knowledge, we have developed a FREE, five-week, open online seminar that will extend research and recommendations from the report.

There are deep inequalities in youth civic knowledge and participation across socioeconomic levels that must be addressed to strengthen our democracy, and there is a vital role for universities and other institutions of higher education, not only in promoting youth engagement, but also closing this gap.

One of the recommendations outlined in the report from our Commission on Youth Voting and Civic Knowledge, is to experiment with lowering the voting age to 17 in municipal or state elections. Recently, the city of Takoma Park, Maryland, made just such a change to their voting regulations; and, last week, its 16 and 17-year-old residents became the first in the nation to cast a municipal ballot on Election Day.

Improving civic education and increasing youth engagement in the United States requires work at every level from all members of society. Civic leaders—elected officials, policy makers, heads of influential organizations, and others—are in a unique position to promote and champion vital, substantive improvements.

Civic learning is often treated as an afterthought; something to be tacked onto more “important” subjects if time allows. However, educating students to be responsible and active citizens is a primary purpose of schooling. An effective civics education also teaches English/Language Arts and skills required for today’s workforce: collaboration, deliberation, public speaking, and more.

The ongoing crisis in Washington, D.C., has once again laid bare the deep polarization and partisan divisions among our elected leaders. This political climate makes civic education both more challenging and increasingly important: teaching tomorrow’s leaders to be informed, responsible citizens emerges as a vital long-term solution to political dysfunction.